Giorgio de Chirico’s masterpiece, Mystery and Melancholy of a Street. What can I say about this painting that has not already been said? It is beautiful in every sense of the word, yet somehow strangely alienating and disconcerting. The shadow looming around the corner of the building has always filled me with a sense of dread, due to my intense fear of the unknown. One can’t help but jump to radical conclusions, such as it representing death, abuse, or the threat of loss of innocence. The child’s silhouette seems to communicate with us a sense of familiarity and comfort, an almost nostalgic callback to the days of our youth, idly playing, not caring about the dangers of the world we live in.I apologize if my thoughts on this beautiful painting are rather bland or poorly presented, but sometimes I find it is difficult to truly communicate how something affects one’s mind and soul.